‘You As You Were’, a new track from Shearwater

Shearwater is back and releasing a new album in 2012 called Animal Joy, this time around with the help of the always on point Sub Pop Records. From this track alone I’m extremely excited to hear the rest of the album. It’s got a wonderful pace to it, Jonathan Meiburg’s vocals spilling out like a beautiful brook. The vibe is also a bit more uplifting than their previous material, constantly building up higher and higher. The new album comes out February 14 in the USA and Feb 27th everywhere else, so be on the look out. If this song isn’t weird enough for you, I’d suggest checking out Meiburg’s collaboration with Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu called Blue Water White Death.

Bobby

‘I Could Eat A Horse’ by Stefán Pétur Sólveigarson

I thought it would be fun to post about this little cute spaghetti measuring tool today. It’s called Ég gæti borðað heilan hest which is Icelandic for ‘I could eat a horse’, and it’s designed by the product designer Stefán Pétur Sólveigarson.

Every time I cook spaghetti I always remember that I need to buy a measurer and I think Stefán’s is really neat. It measures out spaghetti in serving-sizes for kids and adults as well as it’s horse measurement -enough to feed four adults, or presumably, one very very hungry person. It’s available for sale online at the Reykjavik Corner Store.

Philip

Luis Urculo in San Francisco

Remember Luis Urculo? He’s the guy that made a series of delightful (if not always sturdy) architectural stacks out of all kinds of knives, plates, hairs, et cetera. Luis has a degree in architecture, but works happily outside the expectations for the profession. When asked about his decision to work this way, he says:

“When I finished studying I was already quite critical with the professional landscape of options/possibilities/tools I was expected to use as an architect. For me, my degree on architecture was just a big toolbox to invest on many different ways, based on my interests at that moment: graphic and space. I decided to start, trying to leave behind the shadow of expectations of ‘what an architect is supposed to do’.”

Lucky folks in San Francisco will have the opportunity to see what architects might-not-be-supposed-to-do when when Luis’ latest installation opens on January 20th (this Friday) at the Popular Workshop Gallery.

Alex

Abstract illustrations from Jake Pauls

Toronto based illustrator Jake Pauls came to my attention through a work friend and I’ve gotta’ say I’m diggint what he’s doing. His style is inspired by nature in that abstract sense, with some humans/human elements mixed in every now and then. Be sure to check out his Tumblr, which seems to be updated quite often.

Bobby

Re-Covered Books: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

All the way back in 1900, a 44 year old L. Frank Baum released a book titled The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which has now become one of the most well known.. movies. Most of us now know the Judy Garland film of nearly the same name, The Wizard of Oz, which isn’t quite so much like the original book. I think that’s what makes this a good contest, because you need to know about the real book, not the movie, in order to win. Easy enough though, you can read the full book by clicking here.

So here’s your objective. Make a contemporary version of a modern day classic. Don’t make a cover to the movie, make it a cover to the book. But make sure it feels fresh and new. I’d suggest looking at the work of Neil Kellerhouse, who is leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else when it comes to contemporary design. Make it fresh, make it new, and make it amazing.

This time around you’ve got a pretty sweet prize. This time around we’re giving away an Apple TV (which is American, not sure if it matters), so you really need to throw some blood, sweat and tears into this one. Sound like a plan? Here are the rules.

RULES

• Please save your images as JPGs no larger than 800px wide at 72 DPI/RGB mode, there’s no height restrictions (within reason). Feel free to play with the dimensions and have fun with what you make. Making a front and back cover with certainly help your chances, but is not required.

• All entries are due Saturday, February 11, 2012 by Midnight, PST.

If there are any other questions feel free to leave them in the comments. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with and be sure to tell your friends/classmates/pets to participate. Good luck and have fun!

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